Josh Hamilton’s virtual disappearing act was among the great mysteries of 2013, prompting many to wonder when he would be “back.” He never definitively returned. His .250 batting average last season was easily the lowest of his career.

Hamilton was batting .444 on April 8 when he tore a ligament in his thumb sliding head-first into first base. When it was announced that he needed surgery, the question resurfaced: When would Hamilton be back?

Two months later, the question might have been laid to rest.

Hamilton drove in three runs in a 4-2 win over the Chicago White Sox on Sunday at Angel Stadium, finishing 2 for 4 and temporarily keeping his batting average an even .400. He went 7 for 12 as the Angels swept the three-game series.

“The biggest thing is to understand you can’t do anything to make up for the games that you lost,” he said. “That’s a big deal. And I’ve done it before — I’ve tried to come back and do too much and end up spiraling the other way. Just come in, do your work and when the time’s right, just do your work and it’ll work itself out.”

The Angels had nine hits and drew seven walks against left-hander Jose Quintana (3-6) and two White Sox relievers. David Freese, batting cleanup ahead of Hamilton, drew four walks by himself. Howie Kendrick finished 2 for 4 with a walk and scored a run.

Hamilton popped out with the bases loaded in the first inning, but atoned with an RBI double in the third to give the Angels a 1-0 lead.

Batting with the bases loaded in the fifth inning, Hamilton drilled a single into right field to score two. C.J. Cron followed with an RBI single, giving the Angels a 4-0 lead.

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In four plate appearances, Hamilton batted with a total of 11 runners on base. He’s hitting .348 in six games since coming off the disabled list.

“When I was practicing, I felt really, really good,” he said. “It’s taking that good feeling and applying it to the pitcher. I’m not surprised. I’m excited it’s going well. Obviously, it helps to immediately impact games.”

Angels starter C.J. Wilson (7-5) scattered three singles and two walks over 7 1/3 innings. On the heels of his shortest start of the season, Wilson struck out six batters and left with a 4-0 lead.

Wilson said he’s still battling the flu symptoms that prompted him to leave in the third inning of a game in Houston last Tuesday.

“I didn’t really have much in the tank,” he said. “That was pretty much all I had. I wish I could say that I could’ve gone nine, or thrown 130 pitches today, but it just wasn’t in the cards. I made the most of what I had. I didn’t have a ton of strikeouts but I was able to get a lot of ground-ball outs and keep the pitch count down.”

Only three of Wilson’s 22 outs were recorded via fly balls.

When he walked Tyler Flowers in the eighth inning, Wilson was removed in favor of right-hander Joe Smith. He received a standing ovation from the announced crowd of 35,793 as he left the field, and acknowledged the noise with a wave of his glove.

Almost immediately, Chicago had its first runner in scoring position. Smith allowed a double to Alejandro De Aza, followed by RBI singles by Conor Gillaspie and Adam Eaton.

But Smith got out of the jam with a double play, turned by Howie Kendrick despite a hard slide from Eaton at second base. Ernesto Frieri survived a double by Dayan Viciedo in the ninth inning, then walked Adam Dunn intentionally, before striking out Adrian Nieto to record his 10th save of the season.

The ultimate success of the three-game sweep will be measured in the standings when the season ends. For a day, it will be measured in momentum.

The Angels will host the division-leading Oakland A’s for three games starting today. Last week, the A’s swept the Angels in Oakland to pad their lead in the standings. Both teams won Sunday, so the A’s still lead the second-place Angels by 4 1/2 games.

Frieri boldly guaranteed the Angels will not be swept again.

“Get ready to write it down. We’re going to beat them,” Frieri said. “I hate to say it, but they have a little bit extra luck. If you pay attention on every play, it’s stupid how the games go their way. But it’s going to turn. It’s going to turn to our way and we’re just going to keep playing baseball.”